FED JUDGE BLOCKS SUICIDE DIRECTIVE

PORTLAND, Ore.- A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked a federal
order aimed at thwarting Oregon's assisted suicide law.

U.S. District Judge Robert Jones granted the temporary restraining order
requested by Oregon Attorney General Hardy Myers, three terminally ill
patients and others. The order is in effect until Nov. 20.

"There is no showing that the U.S. would be irreparably impaired by a
temporary stay of the (U.S.) attorney general's action," Jones said.

Oregon has the nation's only law allowing physician-assisted suicides. It
has been used by at least 70 terminally ill people since 1997, all of whom
used a federally controlled substance such as a barbiturate.

On Tuesday, Attorney General Ashcroft said Oregon doctors could lose their
licenses to prescribe federally controlled drugs if they follow the law.

The order does not call for criminal prosecution, but effectively put the
state's law on hold because a doctor would have to be willing to give up
the right to prescribe federally controlled medicines.

The order reversed a June 1998 order by Ashcroft's predecessor, Janet Reno,
who prohibited federal drug agents from moving against doctors who use
Oregon's law.

The state responded with a federal lawsuit, saying Ashcroft had taken away
Oregon's right to govern the practice of medicine.

Oregon's assisted suicide law was narrowly approved by voters in 1994. It
survived legal challenges and was later re-approved by a wide margin in
1997 before it was officially signed into law by Gov. John Kitzhaber two
years ago.

Under the law, doctors may provide - but not administer - a lethal
prescription to terminally ill adult state residents. It requires that two
doctors agree the patient has less than six months to live, has voluntarily
chosen to die and is able to make health care decisions.